Clearing Your Head
by Captain Topaz Tribal
Summary: There was something about the tone of Allen's voice, the beautiful and almost melodic quality to it that Lavi was certain hypnotized him. There was no other explanation for how deeply and terribly he fell in love with the destroyer of time. The conscious acceptance of that idea sent a wave of calm through Lavi, as if he now knew what he needed to do. Lemon/Yaoi/Laven/LavixAllen


Clearing Your Head

The secret room of the 14th echoed only silence. Allen wasn't sure what time it was, as the sun always shone brightly in the Ark. Time had no meaning. He'd been in the Piano room for hours, if not days. His back ached from sitting curled up at the 14th's piano, staring at the ivory keys. Timcanpy napped on the edge of the piano, and Allen couldn't help thinking about the music the golem had hidden in its tiny, golden body.

Why was the music written in the same language he and Mana used to use? How could he play the piano without the training to do so? How did Cross know about this room – know that Allen could control Noah's Ark? There were too many unanswered questions, and it overwhelmed the white haired exorcist. He wanted answers and no one had them.

With a heavy sigh, Allen leaned over the bench, half-heartedly digging through a sack of food he'd brought into the room with him. Pulling out a large sandwich, he absentmindedly chewed, his shoulders still slumped.

Everyone had been acting strangely since they'd escaped the Ark. His friends tried to keep a semblance of normalcy, trying to act as they usually did when a mission was finished and they returned home. However, things weren't the same. People were talking; he could hear them. They wondered about how he could control the Ark – why an exorcist could work a Noah's device? Allen wondered that himself, and their hushed comments weren't calming his own worries. Try as he might, he couldn't keep the suspicious thoughts from invading every crevice of his mind. He opted for the solitude of the blindingly white Piano room to collect his thoughts and try to understand what had happened.

It wasn't working.

Timcanpy, woken from his sleep by the sound and smell of food, fluttered over to Allen, looking at him expectantly. With an uncharacteristic charitable streak, he shared his sandwich with the golem. "Here you go, Tim. I'm not really that hungry," Allen said quietly. The golem gobbled up the turkey and swiss in no time, and Allen felt strangely apathetic over the loss of his food.

With another sigh, he sat up slightly straighter and brushed his fingers over the keys of the instrument. His fingers paused over the ivory keys as he hesitated. A long moment passed, and Allen pulled his hands away. Standing, he moved from the piano bench to the small couch against the wall of the white, pristine room. Flopping down on the stiff piece of furniture, Allen stared up at the ceiling. He had no idea what to do. He threw his arm over his eyes, blocking out the light. Maybe if he just rested for a while, he could manage to think straight.

Midnight had come and gone and Lavi still couldn't sleep. He'd been staring at the same passage in his book for hours, hoping that he'd eventually tire out and be able to get some rest. Sleep eluded him, yet his mind wouldn't concentrate on anything tangible. The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose and sat the heavy book down on the desk.

Lavi had been avoiding everyone for the most part that day. It'd been a week and a half since everyone escaped the Ark and anchored the ship to Black Order headquarters, linking it to the Asian branch as well. Most everyone's wounds from battle were healing, even if it was a slow process. He'd been cleared to leave the infirmary, as had most everyone else except Krory, who'd been wounded the worst of all.

Lavi tried to let the events in the Ark disappear from his mind, but it was a useless wish. He could remember each moment with a clarity that only a Bookman would possess. However, as much as the events haunted him, the scenes that echoed in his mind were hollow compared to the feelings welling up in his chest.

Road's illusions shook his psyche deeply. Lavi hadn't told anyone what he'd seen, who he'd seen in the illusion. The redhead didn't like his mind lingering on how close he'd come to ending everything. If it hadn't been for Allen, he'd have burned himself to oblivion with his innocence to save his friends from his possessed body. Allen saved him; saved them all from perishing in the Ark

Allen…

Lavi shook his head and pulled at the green and black headband around neck. He'd worried about all his friends, but Allen took precedence over everyone else. It bothered Lavi, how much he was thinking about the white-haired exorcist. His mind was so preoccupied with the cursed teen, that even the simple task of reading a book became unbearable. He glanced at the clock. It was almost one in the morning. With a sigh, he stood up and headed out of the door of his room. There was no use staying cooped up when he couldn't sleep anyway. Most everyone else slept quietly in their rooms, and Lavi envied them. He wished he could sleep.

The redhead ambled the halls of the Black Order, aimlessly walking. His footsteps reverberated in the stone hallways as he moved through each corridor. His mind wandered as he walked and before he realized it, Lavi found himself in front of Allen's door.

Lavi let out a soft chuckle. Of course he would end up here. Wasn't his mind fixated on Allen at the moment? It only made sense that he'd find his way to the white-haired exorcist's bedroom door. Hesitating for a brief second, he swallowed down a sudden apprehension and knocked on the door lightly. The door unexpectedly creaked open and Lavi blinked his one eye in surprise. Peeking inside, he saw that the light was on.

"Allen? Are you here?" he asked quietly. However there was no answer. The room was empty and looked as if it hadn't been lived in for a few days. Closing the door, Lavi's eyebrows furrowed. Where was he? Lavi had been all over the Order, wandering around at the late hour. The only place he hadn't traveled to was the science area.

"Hm," Lavi mumbled, then headed towards the science wing, sudden determination in his mind.

Allen cracked his eyes open to the sounds of crunching. Moving his arm from his eyes, he turned his head to the side. It took him a moment to focus on the source of the sound. Timcanpy had invaded his bag of food and eaten a good portion of his stash. After a long moment of drowsily watching the golden golem chow down, the image finally clicked in his brain.

"Hey! Tim! Stop eating all my snacks!" he shouted, jumping off of the couch and shooing the golem away from the stash of food. He looked down into the decimated snack bag. It looked as if Timcanpy bit into everything at least once, leaving a good portion of the food half eaten. Allen glared at Timcanpy, the tiny golem looking strangely plump and large. Sighing, Allen dropped the bag and stood up, moving towards the piano. He felt like he slept for only a few minutes, but there was no way he was falling asleep again. His brain was wide awake once more.

Sitting at the piano, Allen pressed the keys and started playing the song that had echoed in his head since he'd entered the room. The haunting melody resounded though the Ark, leaving no room untouched by the beautiful sound.

Allen felt his mind empty and the melody fill his body, taking away his thoughts and freeing him from the anxiety that gripped him for weeks. Allen didn't want to think anymore. He didn't want to worry about everything that happened. He wanted to forget.

The song, the same one Lavi heard before when they were brought back from oblivion, floated into his ears as he entered the Ark and he knew then that Allen was there. The brightness of the fake daylight hurt his eye at first, but they adjusted quickly and Lavi gained his bearings. Moving through the strange, empty town, Lavi listened to the music as he tried to remember where the door to the Piano room was hidden. He walked quietly, the song echoing all over the fake town, trying to find the door. After a few minutes, he realized he wasn't getting anywhere and decided on a more direct approach.

Taking a deep breath, Lavi let out a long and ear shattering cry. "Allen! Where are you?!"

The call stopped the music in mid note, followed by a lengthy silence. Lavi was almost certain he would be ignored, what with how long the silence flowed, before a confused voice replied to him.

"Lavi, what are you doing here?" Allen asked, his voice bouncing around the town, disembodied.

Lavi grinned, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Couldn't sleep and I figured you were here. Let me in, will ya'!? It's weird talking like this and I have no idea where the damned door is."

There was another awkward silence before a single note echoed in the Ark and just to the left of Lavi, where there was otherwise no door before, an opening appeared. The redheaded exorcist walked through the entrance, the wall closing up behind him as he entered the secret room.

It was piercingly white, even more so than the town outside, and the brightness only heightened how exhausted Allen looked. There were noticeable bags under his eyes and his entire body exuded fatigue. Lavi also noticed Timcanpy hovering over the piano. Though he'd been thinking of Allen for days and finally had the chance to talk to him alone, Lavi suddenly felt throat close up and all the words die inside him. What did he even want to say? What were the words he could use to convey his feelings? Trying to not let the awkwardness of the situation get to him, he smiled and walked over to the couch, flopping down on the far end. "You look exhausted," he commented as he sat down, watching Allen from behind.

"Do I?" Allen asked, still looking at the piano, his left hand hovering over the keys he used to open the door. He didn't offer any other response, distracted and not looking at the other exorcist.

"Trouble sleeping?" Lavi added in, the heavy, quietness between them getting the best of him.

Allen laughed softly, though the sound was hollow and caused Lavi's own fake smile to falter. "You could say that," Allen replied, finally turning to his friend. "What did you want, Lavi? Is someone looking for me?"

The redhead shook his head, still keeping the cheerful look on his face. "Nope. Just came to say hi. You've been hard to find the past few days."

"Ah," Allen mumbled, wondering how long he'd been cooped up in the room without knowing it, then feeling bad that he'd been neglecting his friends. "I'm sorry. I think I just lost track of time."

"Don't worry about it, Allen. I think we all have a lot on our minds right now," Lavi commented, looking off to the side.

Crossing the small room, Allen joined Lavi on the couch and heaved a sigh as he sat down. His right hand covered his eyes as he rested against the hard cushions. Lavi watched him out of the corner of his green eye, concern growing on his face. The silence in the room permeated every fiber of his being, yet the words he wanted to say still burned a hole in his throat. All he wanted to do was break the void, explain the feelings choking his chest, and be done with the whole thing. Maybe then he could get some rest. Unfortunately, his tongue was not on his side today.

Allen clearly was stuck in his own mind as well and conversation suffered because of it. Quietly, Lavi fiddled with his jacket still combing his mind for a way to express the thoughts scrambled in his brain. As his fingers brushed against the inner pocket of his jacket, Lavi felt something hard and flat inside. Pulling the item out, his heart nearly stopped when he saw the object in his hand.

The ace of spades.

Lavi forgot he still had the card in his possession. Swallowing down the knot in his throat, Lavi stared at the seemingly innocent card. The memories of the day he and Lenalee found the patch of blood, Allen's blood, and the scattered playing cards in the bamboo forest. They both saw what was in Timcanpy's recordings and they were certain – _so certain _– that Allen had perished, killed by the Noah. Lavi spent weeks with that false assumption sitting heavily in the middle of his chest, weighting him down with every breath. When he finally found out Allen was alive and well, the relief and happiness he felt rivaled no other emotion he'd ever had.  
He'd held onto the card since that day in the forest, keeping it tucked away on his person at all times. Lavi completely forgot about it after Allen had returned and met up with them all in Japan.

His name fell from Lavi's lips before he could stop himself. "Allen," he started, still staring at the black and white card. "I almost forgot. This is yours."

At the sound of his name, Allen withdrew his hand from his silver eyes and looked over at the redhead. "Hm?" he mumbled, his attention now on Lavi. When he looked at the card, he paused for a moment before reaching out and gently taking the ace from Lavi's hand. "Lavi, where did you get this?"

The redhead watched Allen's reaction as he answered. "We found it, Lenalee and I. After you tried to save Suman and…" his voice trailed off, as if saying what happened would make it real. "I… I kept it. I thought you might want it back."

Allen's chest tightened. "Why did you keep it?" he asked straight out, not meeting Lavi's gaze.

The redhead rubbed the back of his neck, staring off to the side of the white room. The air felt heavy, like it was too thick to breathe properly. "I just kept it," he said after a long, silent moment, his voice wavering just slightly.

Allen blinked, not quite understanding Lavi's response. Any other time, he might've let the brush off go, but with the stress of everything piling on him lately, he didn't want another mystery eating at his brain. "But why, Lavi? Why keep this card?"

Lavi's green eye met Allen's silver ones, and in that moment, the redhead knew he couldn't keep his emotions trapped inside any longer. "Allen, we all thought you were dead," he explained, his face strangely serious. "I… I kept it because it was the only thing of yours I had to keep."

Allen could see the difficultly Lavi was having as he tried to explain himself. With a sad smile, the white haired exorcist slid closer to Lavi. "I'm sorry I put you and the others through that."

Lavi shook his head. "It's not your fault. It couldn't be helped at the time," he responded, not wanting Allen to feel bad. "I just… I felt like there was something ripped from my chest. I don't ever want to feel that way again."

Allen watched the emotions play over Lavi's face, and could see he was barely holding them together, like grains of sand slipping through his fingers. "Lavi. I know how it feels to lose someone you care about. I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone – ever." He handed the ace of spades back to his friend. "Here. You should keep this."

"No, I shouldn't. I—"

"Here," Allen repeated, cutting off whatever excuse Lavi was about to come up with. He pressed the ace back into Lavi's hand, their fingers intertwining. "Keep it. I want you to have it."

Lavi's hand curled around the card, Allen's hand still on his. It was then that something clicked in his mind, something he knew he shouldn't think, shouldn't feel. A bookman had no need for a heart, but that didn't mean he was without one. When his mind brought up the images burned in his perfect memory – of the forest covered in Allen's blood, of Road's illusion of Allen burning from his own attack – Lavi heard a tiny voice in his head scream at him. _Don't let go, _it begged._ Not this time._

When Lavi looked up, he saw Allen smiling back at him, even if the smile was only there to hide the pain. Fake smiles were Lavi's specialty; he could see through them instantly.

"Allen…" he redhead began, his heartbeat increasing as he stared at his friend's beautiful, scarred face. He could feel his resolve to hold back crumbing under him.

Allen returned Lavi's gaze, feeling a shift in the mood. Even so, his hand still lightly held onto his friends, the ace of spades still between their palms. "Yes?" he asked softly.

There was something about the tone of Allen's voice, the beautiful and almost melodic quality to it that Lavi was certain hypnotized him. There was no other explanation for how deeply and terribly he fell in love with the destroyer of time. The conscious acceptance of that idea sent a wave of calm through Lavi, as if he now knew what he needed to do.

He couldn't finish his sentence. He wanted to say that he never wanted Allen to leave his sight, lest he find himself in such dire circumstances again. Lavi wanted to tell him that he loved him, that he would risk everything to keep him safe. He wanted to tell him that even if Allen didn't accept his feelings, he would be content to be friends so long as he could still be in Allen's life. But all the words were useless; they meant nothing.

Staring back at Allen's eyes finally did him in. Still holding onto Allen's hand, their fingers intertwined, Lavi leaned in and kissed him. The kiss was tentative at first, their lips pressing gently together. When Lavi didn't feel Allen pull away, he pressed harder, a hint of desperation in the insistence. The card in their hands slipped to the floor without notice. Lavi's grip on Allen's hand tightened slightly as he moved closer to him.

After a long moment, their kiss still chaste, Allen pulled away. His face flushed red in a deep blush of embarrassment, he looked into Lavi's green eye, words failing him. Why did Lavi kiss him? Though he'd be lying if he said the two of them weren't close, Allen hadn't realized that their relationship was turning into… this. The white haired teen didn't know how he felt, the emotions currently residing in him crashed like waves over his whole body.

Allen's long silence didn't go over well with Lavi. He could feel rejection looming over him like a guillotine. He was suddenly nervous, and the room became stuffy. The repercussions of his impulsive decision to kiss Allen made him want to flee. The claustrophobia finally got to him. Lavi stood, letting go of Allen's hand, a slight look of panic in his eye.

"I… I'm sorry, Allen. I should go." He walked to the wall where the door had been, but there was only the white wall now. Shit. He couldn't escape.

Allen hid a smile as he saw Lavi's mini freak out over the lack of an exit, the redhead's emotions somehow calming his own anxiety over everything. It wasn't just their kiss that didn't matter. It was this room as well, the Akuma, the Earl and the Noah, the 14th. All the problems he'd been wrestling with slowly dripped away like rain on an old window pane. Standing, he walked over to Lavi, his footsteps silent. Gently, he grabbed Lavi's arm pulling on the sleeve of his jacket. The redhead's breath hitched in his throat as he turned around to face Allen.

"Lavi, please," Allen began, grabbing ahold of the front of Lavi's shirt. "Stay." Allen pulled him down by the fabric until their lips met again, sparking a fire in the white haired boy's chest. He didn't know exactly what he was doing, or how he felt, but he knew Lavi's kiss felt good and it made him forget about everything else he'd been unable to get off his mind for weeks. He wanted to clear his head, and kissing Lavi was working wonders to empty it.

Allen's lips silenced any protests from Lavi. With his permission, Lavi felt some of his anxious feelings drain out through the soles of his feet, leaving him free to enjoy the taste of Allen in his mouth. They stood there, kissing deeply, their bodies pressed close together. Lavi wrapped his arms around Allen's slender body, feeling the warmth radiating off his skin and through his clothes. The closeness, the heat, and the taste and smell of Allen was more than Lavi was able to bear. It was intoxicating.

Somehow, while continuing to kiss, the two exorcists moved back towards the couch. They fell on the cushioned piece of furniture, Lavi losing his balance first and Allen subsequently falling on top of him. Their foreheads bumped together, breaking up their make out session momentarily.

"Ow," Allen laughed, rubbing his forehead and sitting up slightly. He'd landed on Lavi, his legs straddling the older teen's hips. The couch was just wide enough for them to lay down on it.

Lavi had winced at the contact, but otherwise remained silent. He stared up at Allen, the flush on his cheeks so enticing. He seemed so relaxed now that Lavi could barely remember why he'd been worried. All that was going through his mind now was Allen and how he wanted to touch every inch of his friend's undoubtedly soft body. He pulled the hand Allen was rubbing his recently bumped forehead with away from his face, then down to his lips, kissing the inside of his wrist.

Allen's laughter ceased as he felt Lavi's tongue and lips roam his skin. Each touch brought a burn of excitement over his flesh. Leaning down, he kissed Lavi's neck, his lips moving slowly over the redhead's skin. Allen heard a low moan escape Lavi's throat, then felt the other exorcist's arms wrap around his body again, gripping his hips. Each touch, each caress, brought Allen's mind to a clearer point, and he wanted nothing more for it to continue. He'd never felt so good.

They continued to kiss, common sense and rational thoughts completely leaving their minds. Lavi felt his hardness bump against Allen's as their bodies pressed together, leaving each of them to moan into the other's mouth. Lavi's hands took initiative first, sliding up Allen's shirt and over the warm, soft skin of his back and sides. His hips pressed up into Allen as he pulled the younger exorcist closer.

Allen let his body think for him and each second brought him closer to throwing all caution out the window. The repercussions of his and Lavi's actions were the furthest thing in his mind. Patience running thin, Allen pulled at Lavi's shirt and separated their lips to rid the redhead of the offending item.

As the shirt hit the floor, Lavi couldn't help but grin. He hadn't planned on things going this far, but he'd be damned if he would stop now. Sitting up slightly, he quickly disposed of Allen's own shirt as well. Then, he grabbed Allen's hips and pushed him back, quickly and strangely easily switching their positions. With Allen on his back, freed of his shirt, Lavi leaned down and kissed him once more, his hands cupping the sides of Allen's face with a gentleness he didn't realize he still had amidst the passion coursing through his body.

Releasing Allen's lips from his, with the sweet taste of him still on his tongue, Lavi leaned back a bit and started to undo the button on the white haired teen's pants. He watched Allen's red face as he tried to catch his breath. "Allen, are you sure you want to keep going?" he asked, praying that his friend wouldn't say no. Still, he had to make sure Allen was comfortable with how fast they were moving.

Without missing a beat, Allen leaned up and captured Lavi's lips with his own, their tongues dancing together once more. When the kiss ended, Lavi was surprised to see the lust in Allen's face. His silver eyes bore straight into Lavi's lone, green eye. "Don't stop," he ordered, strength and desire in his voice.

The forcefulness of the reply caused Lavi to pause for only a split second. When he regained his wits, he kissed Allen again, then pushed him back against the couch. In short order, he undid Allen's pants and pulled them down, stripping him of his shoes and underwear while he was at it. Leaving Allen completely naked, Lavi took a moment to look him over. His desire doubled at the sight before him.

Without another word, he leaned down, gently taking Allen into his mouth and brushing his tongue over the erect member. As soon as Lavi touched him so intimately, Allen let out a deep, lingering moan that echoed throughout the piano room. As Lavi continued to work over Allen, the moans of ecstasy poured over Allen's lips without respite. Lavi grew harder as he listened and worked his mouth, tenderly pushing and pulling. He rolled his tongue over the hardness, drinking in the intimate taste of Allen.

Allen had a difficult time keeping his hips still. If Lavi hadn't held him down, he was sure he would've thrust into the redhead's mouth and choked him. Panting, Allen closed his eyes against the brightness of the room. Whatever embarrassment he had left over the sensual acts they were performing dissipated when Lavi engulfed him. He gripped the edge of the couch they precariously laid on, his stomach tightening in a knot of hot passion as the minutes passed. He could feel his excitement peaking, Lavi's perfect attentions ready to take him over the edge. Finally, with a jerk of his hips, Allen came. The tension released, leaving Allen's body to fall limp against the cushions.

Lavi swallowed, though not all of the white substance filling his mouth. Sitting up, the redhead pushed Allen's legs up and apart, and when he had his friend in the right position, he spit the excess cum into his hand. He hadn't exactly been planning on this course of events, and if they were going to continue, some form of lubricant would be essential. Lucky, cum worked perfectly. He rubbed the white, viscous liquid against Allen's entrance, gently probing his fingers into him. Allen barely noticed the intrusion at first, his head still swimming in the ecstasy of release.

As he stretched Allen out with what little patience he had left to hold himself back, he leaned forward to get a better look at the white haired exorcist's face. Crimson flushed over both cheeks and his silver eyes were only half lidded. "Allen, are you ready?"

With a deep breath, still lost in the sexual high, Allen nodded. He couldn't say no to Lavi, especially after he made him feel so good.

Lavi undid his pants, letting them fall around his bent knees. Positioning himself just right, he pushed into Allen slowly. The heat of his friend's body enveloping over him caused Lavi to shudder in delight. They were joined and Lavi was certain now more than ever before that Allen had a hold of his heart. Unable to keep still a moment longer, Lavi began to press in and out of Allen. The friction caused the redhead to moan as he gripped Allen's legs, keeping the rocking motion slow and steady. Allen's own moans were echoing with Lavi's in the room, bouncing off the walls and reverberating back at them.

After a few minutes, Lavi couldn't hold back. He began to thrust faster pressing harder and quicker into Allen, who could do nothing but grip the side of the couch and cry out into the air. Sweat broke out on their skin as they worked together like one entity, wishing for nothing else but to find some way to be closer, deeper inside each other. It didn't take long for Lavi to feel the same build of pressure Allen succumbed to minutes before. Panting and gripping Allen tighter, he thrust with abandon, pounding harder and harder until he came with a groan of release.

As soon as the tension left his body, Lavi collapsed onto Allen as he tried to catch his breath. Allen grunted at the shift of weight, but recovered quickly. He wrapped a tired, lazy hand around Lavi's shoulder as the redhead breathed into the crook of his neck. As they laid there, catching their breath, the silence of the room came back on them.

A few minutes passed with Lavi laying on top of Allen, avoiding looking into his face. The high of climax was fading fast and with it came the realization that he and one of his best friends just had sex. He didn't know what to say now or how to proceed. This was foreign territory.

Luckily, Allen broke the silence first. "Lavi?"

"Yeah?"

"…Could you get up? My leg is falling asleep."

Lavi blushed harder, embarrassed this time. "Ah, yeah! Sorry," he said pushing off Allen and getting up. He purposely avoided looking at the body he'd just ravaged and instead focused on fixing his pants. His eye caught sight of the ace on the floor as well, and he picked it up and tucked it in his pocket as he continued to dress.

Allen looked at Lavi for a split second before sitting up and grabbing his own clothes. They dressed in awkward silence, faces red and skin sticky from the various bodily fluids they swapped. Even though he felt sweaty and hot, Allen didn't feel like he needed a shower at all, strangely enough.

Once they were fully dressed, they sat mutely for a long moment, both staring in opposite directions. Finally, Allen broke the quiet again. "I think I might be able to get some sleep now," he said softly, still not looking at Lavi. "How about you?"

Lavi couldn't help but smile, no matter how awkward the situation was. "Yeah, I actually think I could, too."

Allen stood, giving Lavi a small smile and breaking the strangeness of the evening. "Let's go back to the Order. It's much more comfortable than this couch."

Lavi pushed off the white couch and let out a soft chuckle. "Well, it worked well enough for me."

Allen blushed, but said nothing. Walking to the piano, he pressed a key and the door opened into the rest of the ark. Timcanpy, who'd been asleep the whole time, flew up and nested in Allen's hair as they left the room. Exiting the Ark, they walked down the darkened halls of the Black Order. Their footsteps echoed throughout the corridors. It was still very late and most everyone was asleep, or at least should've been.

Allen's room was first as they worked their way through the intricate hallways. They both stopped at the door and Allen opened it slowly. It creaked open, making the exorcist wince at the sound, as if everyone would hear it and come out to investigate. Of course, no one did.

"Well, this is my room."

This time Lavi let out a genuine laugh. The sentence was ridiculously obvious. "It sure is, beansprout."

Allen grimaced at the nickname. "Lavi, don't call me that," he grumbled, giving his friend a cranky look.

Lavi just smiled, knowing full well that he wouldn't stop. "See you tomorrow, Allen." He turned to walk down the hall and find his own bed.

That would've been it. They would've went their separate ways to their separate beds and left well enough alone. But as Allen looked into his room, it felt dark and cold. He didn't want to stay there alone. He knew if he was given the time to think, he would only have his troublesome thoughts to entertain him and they had plagued him enough for the time being.

Turning around, Allen still saw the redhead. He hadn't gotten far. "Lavi?"

At the sound of his name, he stopped and turned around. "Yeah?" He seemed surprised to be called back.

Allen swallowed down the last of his pride and apprehension. "Would you stay with me tonight?"

Lavi's green eye widened at the request, but only for a second. He smiled and walked back to Allen. Before answering, he leaned down and kissed Allen on the cheek. "Sure, if that's what you want." He walked into Allen's room, leaving him blushing at the door. "But you'd better not hog all the blankets."

Allen shook his head and closed the door behind him, a smile on his lips.

The End


End file.
